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New study ranks Washington as best state in US

File photo of the Seattle waterfront

A new study from U.S. News & World report ranks Washington state as the best state in the U.S.

Each state was evaluated on eight categories: health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fisacal stability, crime and corrections and natural environment – in order of importance to the rankings.

Washington's highest marks came in infrastructure (second), while the lowest ranking came in fiscal stability (22nd).

"More weight was accorded to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people," officials said.

Washington finished sixth in the 2018 rankings and fifth in the 2017 rankings.

The top 10 are as follows: Washington, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Utah, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Colorado.

The bottom 10 are as follows: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alaska, Arkansas, New Mexico, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

Click here for the full list.

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